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"Beinng Mortal" PBS Frontline Documentary

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    "Beinng Mortal" PBS Frontline Documentary

    Being Mortal was on PBS Frontline a couple of weeks ago and I've been waiting for someone to post about it here. It primarily deals with how end of life is dealt with between docs and patients, and it was quite revealing how ill-equipped docs are when treating dying patients.

    The doc who made the film describes talking with a patient with terminal brain cancer, with just weeks to live. The doc mentions a newly available experimental treatment that they could try. The doc ends the conversation telling the patient he 'could be back on the tennis court in weeks' if the med works for his patient.

    The film is unrelated to MS, but I found it very insightful and was struck by several points in the film. One topic covered in the film is the MD/film maker discusses dealing with his MD father's terminal illness.

    Wondering if anyone else watched it, any thoughts you have, if or how the film changed your view of your own doc?

    Anyone interested can google the title 'Being Mortal' and stream it from PBS Frontline. It should still be available.

    #2
    Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I did not know about this episode of Frontline, but I will look it up asap. That show, usually, does a very respectable job telling the story.

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      #3
      I watched it.. And it is worth searching for it so you can see.

      I now use rituxan. I did Novantrone which was my favorite chemo. I did 140g of IVIg each month for 8 years. Each time I was made aware of the risk.

      What I realized that my docs do not fully comprehend is that I am willingly accepting that risk. My choice. (It gave me pause when my neuro once told me that I could end up with major neurological damage and not die. I had not thought of that. I assumed that if I got the brain virus (PML) that I would die. Some doctors have trouble accepting the independent thinking of their patients.
      "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says:"Oh Crap, She's up!"

      Currently on rituxan

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        #4
        I watched this earlier today, and wow.
        Definitely gave me pause. I started thinking about me - what type of patient would I be?

        I am chasing after the miracle now (Lemtrada or even Ty), but am being told that at this time I am not a candidate for them - I am doing too well. Even after my psych exam earlier this week I was told that I may be able to tell that I have 'lost' some cognitive function, but that I am still testing in the 'normal' range. I guess that prior to MS I must have been a real genius .

        But Documentary brings home some very good considerations. It IS difficult. I was part of the decision making process for both of my grandparents. The only thing that made it any ?easier? was that both of them had already fought until they were too tired to fight any more. Unfortunately, for both of them the decision came too late for hospice. Maybe, if the doctors had been more honest with us earlier?

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